Tummy tuck surgery (abdominoplasty) yields high patient satisfaction and improved quality of life in patients who are overweight or obese – despite a substantial risk of complications, reports a study in the October issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgerythe official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

An “overwhelming majority” of overweight/obese patients are happy with the results of abdominoplasty, according to the study by Dennis C. Hammond, MD, and colleagues of Partners in Plastic Surgery of West Michigan, Grand Rapids. They write, “A real quality of life improvement can be obtained by offering body contouring even in the face of obesity, with the caveat that the risk of minor postoperative complications is high.”